Normal Is So Overrated
by BobWhite
Summary: Ronon is kidnapped. R&R 2 find out more. Full summary inside.
1. Zelaya

**Full Summary:**

Zelaya has always known that she was different from the rest of her community. But what she didn't know was that she was the only one that could not only save her planet from destruction, but also that of her whole universe. So what happens when she runs into Ronon and takes him hostage? Will the Atlantis team be able to figure out what happened? And are Ronon and Zelaya's destiny's entwined now that they have met? What will the outcome be of this capture? And will it be good for Zelaya and her people?

**Zelaya:**

Hello, my name is Zelaya. I don't have a last name, people just call me Zelaya. I knew that I was different the moment I turned two years old. People looked at me differently then how normal people are looked at. My own people thought I was some sort of plague. We all dressed the same, but for some reason I was always the outcast. My jacket which everyone wore, not only hid my skin from the likes of any outsider, but also hid the markings that seemed to appear on my skin as I grew older.

My black hair was streaked not only with gold, silver and white streaks but also with blue, purple, red, pink and green. I figured that it had to do with something with my mood or something. I never have quite figured out the whole hair thing. Once I was old enough to fend for myself, I started traveling all over my planet. I found over fifty locations to keep hidden from watchful eyes and I put spells on some of the places so that if I ever wanted to be alone, all I had to do was go to one of those spots and say a few words and my village or anyone else that was looking for me wouldn't be able to find me.

In one of the caves, which I would later call History Cave, I found dozens of artifacts that had been long since forgotten by my people and the people of my galaxy. Life in the Sianim dimension was hard but I had it all worked out. I would spend my days collecting what no one else wanted and taking it to History Cave. I found adjoining passages that had more of the artifacts that I had found in the main cave. I made myself very comfortable in the cave and began working on figuring out my planet's history with the artifacts on the ground.

I had fixed up a bunch of artifacts and had managed to get some of them working again. One was some kind of electrical weapon that when fired sent an electrical current through whatever was around it. Using that weapon, I hunted my own game and fed myself without having to return to the village. I knew that if I was ever caught, I would be killed, but for some reason no one ever ventured out to figure out what I was up to. They left me alone and I loved it because whatever my people threw out, I collected and took to History Cave. They never figured out what I was doing and I wouldn't let them follow me.

I was sixteen when the visitors arrived from Atlantis. I didn't know what they wanted but I knew I had to get one of them alone so that I could grab him or her. But I didn't know that I would be grabbing such a strong member. They were welcomed into the village more then I ever was. I had a pack of firewood that I was carrying when they walked into the village. The minute I saw them, I stopped. I said nothing, yelled nothing, did nothing. My mother ran out of the house and tried to pull me in the door, but I wouldn't budge.

They came up to us and I could tell that they only wanted to be friendly. My mother didn't see it that way. She thought they were here to take me away from them. If they took me away, I would be happy because that meant that I could live and not die for the people that didn't want me in the first place. All they wanted me for was so that I could some day save their lives and risk dying in the process. I wasn't about to let them take my freedom just so they could survive.

I hoped that I could get one of the members back to History Cave and make sure that they would make room for me at their Atlantis base. I did not want to die just to save a race of people that didn't love me or want me.


	2. Ronon Dex

**Ronon Dex:**

You already know me as a tough guy who doesn't let anything stop him. So when I met this Zelaya girl, I just figured she was another off-world inhabitant, I didn't know she was someone that might be a danger to me. I didn't know that she was capable of subduing me to the point of disarming me and knocking me unconscious. Somehow I ended up in a dark cave, bound but not gagged. Apparently she wanted all the information she could get out of me.

When I first saw her, she was dressed like the rest of the villagers. She had on a long brown dress with leather boots that went up to her knees. She had her dark hair pulled back in a braid and her arms were covered with a dark brown jacket. But what struck me most about her when I first saw her was that everyone around her acted as if she were a plague and wanted nothing to do with her. So that's how my predicament started. I don't know how she got me to the cave, all I know is that she was able to subdue me, knock me unconscious and disarm me. I do remember leaving a small clue behind for the rest of the team to figure out.

We had been on-world when I was captured, a first for me. McKay, Keller, Teyla, Sheppard and I had just left the tavern and were headed out to check the parameters of the village to make sure it was safe for us to stay the night there. As far as I knew it was safe. She was standing on the outskirts of town when I ran into her. She startled me at first because I didn't know what she wanted or why she was out in the middle of the night, barely within steps of the village wall. Then all of a sudden I am in this cave, with no memory of how I got here.

I looked around the cave, trying to figure out where the heck I was by McKay overview of the planet. I couldn't figure it out but I did see a bunch of old time artifacts that looked like the planet and its people had forgotten they were even there. I noticed a book lying on what looked like a table of some sort. There was a chair next to the table and a few candles. Along the same wall, there was a medium cabinet, a trunk, a small bed-which looked like it only fit one person, and a few weapons. On the table was my weapon among a bunch of papers.

Maybe I should try to make some small conversation with her and learn why she grabbed me. Maybe I should try to get out of my restraints while she is away. No then I wouldn't know how to get the hell out of this cave. She probably has this place booby trapped from the inside out. Then what kind of predicament would I be in if I was injured and unable to fight her off? The worst kind ever. No, it was better to wait for her to return. Maybe then I will get some information out of her.


	3. Missing

**Missing:**

**The Village Center:**

The visitors walked into the town square and stopped in the middle, asking for the leader of the establishment. Our leader, Ciuk stepped forward.

"**I am the leader here. What is it that you want from us?"** Ciuk asked.

"**We come as friends to help protect you from the wraith. Do you mind if we go inside and talk?"** Kernel Sheppard asked.

"**I don't mind at all, away from the rest of the villagers so that our conversation isn't overheard. Ah…Sholan, take Zelaya and make food for our guests. Come you are welcome in our home. Zelaya, go with your mother and don't be running off like you usually do."**

I looked at him, then my mother and finally at the visitors. **"What mother? You are no more of a father to me then my mother is a mother to me. Serve your own guests; all I am good for is to save your lives when the wraiths attack. Well guess what, I am no longer your kill joy. Find someone else to fight this battle with the wraith; I will no longer risk my life just so you all can stay alive!"**

"**Do not be such an insolent girl. She knows not what she says. She has always been very defiant and doesn't listen well. She likes to talk back a lot. I'm sorry for her outburst. Get inside Zelaya, now!"** Ciuk said as I glared at him and followed my mother Sholan inside our house.

"**I can see where she gets her defiance from."** McKay whispered to Teyla.

"**Quiet Rodney, we don't want to upset them when we are here to help them with their wraith problem."** Teyla said.

"**She's right Rodney; we want to make friends with them, not enemies. Come one, let's get inside and start the talk without any interference."**

**Sholan & Ciuk's House:**

My mother and I were in the kitchen when Ciuk and the visitors came in. Sholan made sure that I stayed in the kitchen while Ciuk talked with the visitors. She knew that if I had a say in what was being talked about, their people would not have a savior and they would have to fend for themselves. Sholan tried to keep me in the kitchen as she served our guests. She tried but it didn't work. I served the food right along side her as the introductions were made.

"**My name is Ciuk; I am the leader of this establishment. This is my wife Sholan and you've already met our daughter Zelaya. May I ask what your names are?"** Ciuk asked.

"**My name is Kernel Sheppard. This is Teyla Ammagen, Ronon Dex, Doctors Rodney McKay and Jennifer Keller. Like we said, we are here to help you with your wraith problem."**

"**What wraith problem? There is no wraith problem here."** Sholan said.

"**There has been some recent activity here indicating that there is wraith present. Have you not noticed?"** Ronon asked.

"**No, no wraith have come to the village or this planet in many a year."** Ciuk said, but I had looked away. I now knew what that weird weapon was and that's why these people were here. They thought I had brought the wraith to this planet and maybe I had, but I was only fixing up the artifacts in History Cave. I didn't know what kind of race used the weapons. Teyla had noticed my far away look.

"**May I use your restroom?"**

"**Ah, sure, Zelaya can show you where it is. Zelaya?"** Ciuk asked but I had already disappeared out of the house and to the outskirts of the village.

"**I will show her Ciuk. Our daughter has a tendency to wander off. She has probably gone out to get more firewood."** Sholan said.

"**I'm sure she has."** Sheppard said.

"**Were you folks planning on staying the night?"** Sholan asked, coming back with Teyla behind her.

"**That was our plan if you had accepted us."** Dr. McKay said.

"**We accept you and you may take our guest house. It has been used a few times when family from different planets comes to visit. Our galaxy is vastly occupied by many races intermingled with the human race to be free. Believe me; we do not have a wraith problem. And if we did, we would take care of it with our own means of fighting back."**

"**Alright, we'll take your word. We're going to have to set up a perimeter of the village so that we know if anything happens. I hope you understand."** Kernel Shepard said.

"**We understand Kernel. Please, do what you must to feel safe."** Ciuk said.

"**Thank you Ciuk. We'll let our selves out."** Teyla said, nodding towards Sholan and Ciuk who nodded back.

**Setting Up Perimeter:**

Kernel Sheppard, Teyla, Dr. McKay, Dr. Keller and Ronon circled the village, making sure that everyone was inside. Their guns were in their hands, just in case they needed to use them. I was on the outskirts of the village heading towards tha caves when I noticed Ronon and Teyla coming my way. I hid in the shadows as Teyla went another direction and Ronon headed straight for me.

**The Attack:**

An evil looking smile appeared on my face as I crouched in the shadows, waiting for him to get closer. As soon as he was close enough and unaware of what was about to happen, I used my stealth moves and got the better of him. I made sure he knew that I meant business. I grabbed him from behind and using all my strength, held my arms around his neck until he was unconscious. The minute his body went limp, I grabbed his weapon and put it in the bag that was around my waist. Then I grabbed him by the arms and hoisted him onto my shoulders and started for History Cave.

As soon as I was inside History Cave, I leaned him up against one of the walls and bound his arms and legs tightly so that he couldn't get out. Mentally using my powers, I cast a spell on the bindings so that he couldn't get loose no matter how hard he tried. Next, I made up some blankets next to a wall with nothing on the ground around it. I picked Ronon up and laid him on the blankets. I put his weapon within the cabinet next to my table in one of the back caves. With one look back, I left the cave and rolled a stone in front of the entrance, then I put a spell on this particular set of caves so that no one could find it and left, going back to the village.

**Sholan & Ciuk's House:**

I walked in the front door to see Sholan & Ciuk waiting for me. The Atlantis team was still not back from setting up their perimeter and I knew I had to be within the house before they got back or risk being caught. I looked at the people that had given me life knowing that they knew nothing of what had just happened. They just figured that I had disappeared again like I always do.

"**Where have you been?"** Ciuk asked.

"**And why are you so dirty?"** Sholan asked.

"**I was out in the woods, looking for something to make a new wardrobe with. Is it a crime to want to look good in this town?"** I asked as the team came back in.

"**Did you find anything to make a good wardrobe with?"** Sholan asked.

"**Actually I did, but I had nothing to kill it with so I had to come back and get a club or weapon so that I could kill it and use the skin as a shirt, a skirt or a coat. Where did you guys go to?"** I finished.

"**We went to set up a perimeter around the village just to make sure nothing or no one was out and about. Has anyone seen Ronon?"** Kernel Sheppard asked.

"**I saw him when I was coming back into the village from the forest. But I lost sight of him when he walked in the direction of the wall. Was he supposed to meet up with you somewhere?"** I asked.

"**He was supposed to meet us back here when he was done setting up a perimeter. Which way to the wall?"** Dr. Keller asked.

"**I can show you. I was headed back out into the forest to kill an animal for its skin for a new wardrobe and to cook its meat for some good food."** I said.

"**That would be great thanks. And we can help you with catching this animal if you like."** Teyla finished.

"**Thanks, but I don't think you can handle such an animal like this. The animal I'm going to take down is about forty-five thousand pounds. They venture all over our planet and are barely within the vicinity of our village so it's a rarity to get them alone enough to take one down. And they normally don't like crowds. If we hunt in a crowd, they'll know and they'll disappear before anyone can get close enough to kill it. Sorry, come on let's go find your friend."**

**Searching For Ronon:**

I showed the team where the wall was and then headed back into the forest, making sure that I scared the animal off so I didn't have to bring proof back that I had gone after it. These animals were known to run off before you can take them down and everyone except the Atlantis team knew that. As I came out of the forest empty handed and headed back to my parent's house I could hear the team members calling Ronon's name and trying to find him.

When they returned to our house, they didn't have Ronon with them. They planned to send someone back to Atlantis for some more troops to help look for Ronon in the morning. When they came back, they entered the main room and looked at me as if thinking I should have had the dead animal with me.

"**Where's the animal Zelaya?"** Dr. Keller asked.

"**It ran off before I could get back to it."**

"**And we're to believe you really went after this sort of animal that we haven't even seen."** Kernel Sheppard asked.

"**Everyone knows that these animals travel around our planet. In all only about six hundred of these animals have ever been caught and killed and only about two hundred have been tamed into being pets or work animals. Not everyone comes back with one of these animals and we have all accepted that."** Ciuk said.

"**Thanks for backing me up Ciuk, but I could have handled it myself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get some of my stuff and get out of **_**this**_** house. Sorry if I don't stay and help you out but I rarely ever stay the night here in the village."**

"**And why would that be?"** Dr. McKay asked.

"**She says she doesn't feel at home here and that she feels more at home away from the village and out in the middle of nowhere."** Sholan said.

"**Kind of sounds a little like us if you know what we mean."**

"**I do, now I'll leave you with my parents and be out of your hair."** I said leaving the main room and going into my room. My parents didn't touch my room because there was barely anything in it. What I grabbed from my room was three bags to carry my stuff in. In one I put enough food to last a few weeks, in the second one I put a lot of blankets and some pillows, and in the third one, I put enough medical supplies to keep me healthy for a few weeks as well. Then I walked out into the main room and out the front door.

"**Does she always take that much stuff with her?"** Teyla asked.

"**At times we won't see her for a few weeks so she takes what she needs for that amount of time. We don't mind, she stays out of our way and we don't ask what she's up to."** Sholan said.

"**How un-parental of you. Aren't you afraid she's going to get hurt or anything?"** Dr. Keller asked.

"**If she does get hurt, she has enough food, water and medicine to keep her healthy. We don't worry about her that much. She has been fending for herself since she was ten-years-old. When she was old enough to venture out by herself, she left the house and has been venturing all over the planet by herself for years."** Ciuk said.

"**Again, I say how un-parental of you. Wait a minute, is there any place you could hide a full grown man anywhere on this planet?"** Dr. Keller asked.

"**Well, yes there is. Wait you don't think Zelaya had anything to do with your teammate disappearing do you?"** Sholan asked.

"**I have a feeling she wasn't hunting anything this evening. What exactly is there on this planet besides the majority of villages?"** Kernel Sheppard asked.

"**Ah, besides the forest, there is a mountain range and some old abandoned mines that no one goes to anymore. At least they don't go there anymore, not since the incident."**

"**What incident?"** Teyla asked.

"**Well, Zelaya was with my sister and her husband out in the mines getting supplies for a festival we were having. There was a cave in and Zelaya was injured pretty badly. She was six, my sister and brother-in-law never made it out. They were killed within the mine and the festival was canceled."** Ciuk said.

"**I see, well we're going to need to see these mines of yours, if you don't mind."**

"**Not at all, I'll show them to you in the morning. Why don't we all get some rest?"**

"**Thanks, we'll see you in the morning. Come on guys, let's get some rest."** Kernel Sheppard said.


	4. History Cave

**History Cave:**

**Sholan & Ciuk's House: Day 2:**

The remaining team members bedded down for the night, thinking about Ronon and Zelaya. Everything had been going great until they had split up to secure the village. Then, someone, probably Zelaya, had grabbed Ronon and been able to hide him without alerting anyone in the village. Ciuk and Sholan pretty much told them that they didn't watch what their daughter had been up to since she was ten so there was a high possibility that she had taken him. But Ronon wasn't that easy to take down so she had to be pretty strong to get him to go with her.

They tried to get some rest, but they were up before dawn and anyone in the village. Zelaya knew what she was doing and they knew she knew more then what she was telling the team and her parents. They could tell that the girl had had enough time to be by herself by the looks the rest of the village had given her when she had spoken back to Ciuk. The girl wasn't liked in the village and probably not the rest of the planet. Something was wrong with the whole situation and it wasn't just because Ronon was missing.

They headed back to the main house a little before breakfast and noticed that Ciuk & Sholan were also up. Saying that they had thought that Zelaya may have been the reason Ronon had disappeared had made it a sleepless night for them as well. They nodded, had some breakfast and what these people called coffee and then the two villagers headed out with the team towards the mines. But they wouldn't find anyone anywhere near the mines. The caves had never been found by the inhabitants of the planet and only Zelaya knew where they were so there was a great chance that they wouldn't be found on the first day.

Dr. Keller was sent through the gate back to Atlantis to recruit a search and rescue team and to get more medical supplies just in case they needed the medical supplies. Once the search and rescue teams were back on the planet, they spread out and started their search for Ronon and Zelaya, knowing that if the two were together, then Zelaya had taken him in the first place and they could figure out why.

**The Cave: Day 3:**

Ronon sat up and looked around. He saw me sitting on one of the chairs eating something. He was hungry but he didn't show it. He didn't know how long he had been tied up or how long he had been in the cave, but he knew that I hadn't been there the last time he had woken up. He figured I was probably in the village trying to keep my innocence known, trying to keep the fact that I had grabbed him a secret. It was working as far as he could see. I stood up and brought him some food, untying his hands with a few words as I bent down next to him.

"**What do you want with me?"** he asked.

"**I only want you to listen. I couldn't very well talk to you in the presence of my parents or anyone else in the village now could I?"**

"**Why take me? Why not just talk to me in private in the shadows of your village?"**

"**Because I had no other choice. My village hates me, they only think of me as a way of living. One day the wraith will attack the galaxy and I am to be sacrificed as a willing participant in a destiny I do not want."**

"**What kind of destiny?"**

"**They are willing to use my powers to make the wraith forget about ever crossing us again. And frankly, I would rather live then die using my powers to keep the wraith away from the galaxy. I really don't want to die for a people that want nothing to do with me."**

"**So that's what you were talking about back in the village about finding someone else to protect the galaxy?"**

"**Yes. Here eat something; you'll need your strength."**

"**Need my strength for what?"**

"**To protect me from my people as you take me back to where you belong."**

"**Why would we take you back after you took me hostage?"**

"**If I am to stay here, they will kill me for certain. I can't have that now can I? I want to live as long as I can without the interference of my people just so they can live a little longer away from the wraith."**

"**Right, so what is this place?"**

"**I don't know, I call it History Cave because I believe it holds our galaxy's history and future. Over the years, I've managed to fix the artifacts on the floor, including this weapon looking thing."** I said holding up the electrical weapon that had been leaning up against a wall behind him.

"**That would explain why we thought the wraith were on this planet."**

"**What do you mean? Why kind of weapon is this?"** I was sitting on the floor at his feet. I had taken the spell off the bindings and was working on untying his feet.

"**That's the choice of weapon most wraith go with because it has a powerful electrical current that can stun or kill anything around it. How long have you been using it?"**

"**I finished fixing in about three years ago. I've been using it ever since. There you go, now you can move about the cave as you like."**

"**Can I leave?"**

"**Sorry, that would be a no. Only I can come and go as I wish. There is a spell on the cave so that it is invisible to the human eye and so that it cannot be detected by any alien or human technology."**

"**Let me guess, you did it so that if the wraith did ever occupy this planet, they wouldn't be able to find you, no matter what?"**

"**Exactly, I don't want to die. I would give anything to be able to live a normal life without the thought of being sacrificed for one race's evil ways. Is it so wrong to want to live, to want to have a normal life where you don't have to look over your shoulder everywhere you go?"**

"**No, but taking me isn't the way to get what you want. Taking me is only going to bring more pain to your life. You have to let me go back to my team, let me tell them what is going on."**

"**NO! I can't. If you are to go back to the village, you will tell them where to find me and all my hard work will go down the drain. You have to stay here until I come up with a way of getting off of this planet and then you can go back to your people and your home, I promise."** I said. We both could hear his team members calling his name, but there was also a whole lot more people calling his name then just the four team members he had come onto the planet with.

"**If I can't leave, then I'll make them find me by calling to them, telling them where I am."**

"**You can't, the spell not only keeps any alien or human technology from picking it up, but it also makes it soundproof and undetectable."**

"**Great, so I'm stuck here while you go about figuring out how to get away from your people. What am I to do in the mean time?"**

"**You can help me fix up some of these old artifacts that I have no idea what they are. There's a bunch of scrolls in the other passage that have the same strange markings on them as the markings that have appeared on my body since I was six-years-old."**

"**What markings?"** Ronon asked as I took my jacket off, exposing the markings of the ancients to his eyes. **"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they'll let you come back to Atlantis with us now."**

"**Why would they now that you have seen my markings? What difference does that make?"**

"**Those are the markings of the ancients. The scrolls probably tell why you have the markings on your body and what your real purpose is on this world. Are Sholan and Ciuk your real parents?"**

"**They are the only parents I have ever known. I was told when I was six that my aunt and uncle died in the collapse of one of our mines, but I think they were my real parents. I can't understand any of the writing on the scrolls, which is one of the reasons I brought you here."**

"**Well, that was your mistake. I can't understand most of the Ancients writings or markings. That's McKay's and Keller's job, not mine. I'm merely the backup protection. I used to be a Runner."**

"**What's a Runner?"**

"**Someone the wraith use as a target. Basically they cat and mouse with the Runner and if the Runner is caught, they are eaten. Get what I'm saying."**

"**In an odd way, yes. You do realize, that sooner or later, my parents will tell your people that they will continue with the search and that your people are better off to go back to Atlantis. My parents don't like outsiders among their people, which is why I think they killed my parents."**

"**Right, well that's why you let me go before they force my people to go back to Atlantis. And you come with us."**

"**They'll never **_**allow**_** me to leave. They'll stop you from taking me, no matter what it takes to do so."**

"**We have guns, they have nothing. You have wraith technology, they have pitchforks and rakes. You get my point? You could blast your way off this planet and be gone way before the wraith decide to attack and your people will never be able to sacrifice you that way."**

"**You have a point, but I couldn't do that to the animals that live on this planet."**

"**Yeah, about that, what kind of animals actually live on this planet?"**

"**The normal kind of animals. We communicate between each other and the plants. The plants whisper what kind of animal will be within the vicinity of this cave and if it is willing to let me kill it. And if the animal is willing to let me kill it, then it becomes my new wardrobe."**

"**And what is normal to you?"**

"**Forty-five thousand pound, 32 feet tall tigers, lions, bears, monkeys, elephants, wolves and sloth's. They have been my friends since I was a little girl. I'm surprised your people haven't run into any of them yet. If they have, I have instructed them to leave them alone. It's just one of my many powers that I was born with and have grown into."**

"**Right, well why don't you instruct them on bringing my friends here to the cave so that they can rescue me from you?"**

"**That would be rude, besides, I thought we were getting along. I mean I even untied your hands and legs so that you could wander around the cave and its connecting passages. Maybe you could even help me gather all this stuff and put it into my bags so when we do leave I can take all the stuff with me and to your base."**

"**That sounds like a good idea. Let's get started. Wait, when do expect us to be able to leave?"**

"**Now that you have heard me out, we will leave as soon as all of this stuff is collected, that is if Ciuk will allow me to leave the galaxy."**

"**I have a feeling that he will be allowing you to leave if there is as many people here as I think there is."**

"**Then you promise to take me back to Atlantis with you?"**

"**Yes, I promise. You think you could take the spell off the cave so my friends can find me?"**

"**I learned to trust you and let you roam freely within the cave. It has been gone for two days. Consider yourself lucky, I barely ever trust anyone."**

**The Cave-In: Day 4:**

Ronon and I began clearing tha caves of the artifacts and putting them into my bags. I had a total of ten bags within the caves and by the time all of the artifacts were in the bags, I only had one bag left. The scrolls would go into that bag and anything else that I wished to take with me to Atlantis. All the bags were in the main cave when the cave-in occurred. The people of Atlantis were just passing by the cave when the force field disguising the cave disappeared and the rocks slid into the opening of the last passage in the cave. I was trapped, but Ronon on the other hand was very visible to his friends.

"**Ronon!"** Dr. Keller said. He turned around at hearing her voice, but the look on his face said something was wrong.

"**Are you okay?"** McKay asked.

"**She's still in there."**

"**Who, Zelaya? Leave her there; let's go before they kick us out of their village. We can get you cleaned and bandaged up at Atlantis." **Kernel Sheppard said.

"**We can't leave her. If we leave her, her people will only kill her faster. I promised her we would take her back to Atlantis with us."**

"**Why did you do that?"** Teyla asked.

"**She's an Ancient. She has the marking of the Ancients all over her body and on scrolls she found inside this very cave. She calls the cave History Cave."**

"**So where is she then?"** Dr. Keller asked.

Ronon pointed to the collapsed part of the cave. **"She's in there. It collapsed soon after we got all the artifacts into bags and out into the main cave. By the way, she has reason to believe that the people killed in the mine collapse when she was six were really her parents, at least her real parents. And this would be the reason we thought wraith were active on the planet," **he said picking up the fully restored wraith weapon. **"She was using it to kill game and eat while she was out here and not in the village. She figured it was just another weapon that her people forgot about. She didn't know that it belong to the wraith."**

"**Well you're just a bunch of information now aren't you?"** Teyla said.

"**Come on; let's get her out of there and back to Atlantis."** Kernel Sheppard said.

"**Even if we have to force them to let us take her with us."**

"**What do you mean by that Ronon?"** McKay asked.

"**She's basically their get out of jail free card. If the wraith ever did attack, they were going to sacrifice her life for theirs, and in doing so kill every chance of her being a normal kid. So did you run into any 32 foot animals while you were looking for me?"**

"**A few, and now we believe her as to why she couldn't kill it."** Teyla said.

"**It didn't want her to kill it. She has a way of communicating with the animals and plant life on the planet."**

"**I see. Come on; let's get her out of that cave."**

Ronon led the way into the cave, around the bags that were lined up against a wall and to the caved-in passage. Very carefully, they took rocks from the blockage and deposited them outside of the huge cave. Once inside the caved-in passage, Ronon used a flashlight to find me. He found me lying in a pool of blood, with one of the caves catalysts impaling my skin just above one of my kidneys. McKay and Teyla came up next to him holding flashlights as well. They looked at each other.

Ronon bent down and, carefully, took the catalyst from my side and slowly picked me up, pushing Teyla & McKay in front of him and outside. Dr. Keller got busy bandaging my wound and the rest of the team saw the markings. Once I was well enough to travel, the Atlantis team members each grabbed a bag of artifacts and Ronon grabbed the one with the scrolls in it and put it over his shoulder, then picked me up carefully and they all headed back to town and towards the gate.


	5. Back To Atlantis

**Back To Atlantis:**

**The Village:**

Once back at the village, the bags were kept in everyone's sights as they headed to the gate. Sholan and Ciuk were waiting at the gate for the Atlantis people. The Alantian teams were expecting a fight, but with one of their members injured and carrying an injured person, they were a little short handed. Teyla took out the wraith gun Ronon had given her and the others got ready for a fight just in case, all the while keeping the bags with the artifacts and scrolls close to their body, knowing that these would probably show what happened to the planet. Ciuk stepped forward.

"**You all may leave, but the girl stays here. She is of our flesh and blood and she is to go nowhere without our permission."**

"**What permission? You rarely ever pay attention to her as it is."** Kernel Sheppard said.

"**Still, she is our daughter and she does not leave this planet without our permission."**

"**She'll die without proper medical attention. She was injured in a cave-in and a catalyst impaled her just above the kidney. She needs immediate medical attention and to do so we need to get her to Atlantis."** Dr. Keller finished.

"**I'm sorry, but we cannot allow you to leave with Zelaya. She is not to leave this planet unless the time comes."**

"**So you would will her to die just so you can stay alive? Forget it; find another way to protect your galaxy, this girl is not going to be your get out of jail free card. And when the wraith attacks, we will **_**not**_** help you or protect you for that matter."** Kernel Sheppard said turning to McKay. **"Dial the gate McKay. We're going back to Atlantis with Zelaya."**

"**If you try to stop us, you will be hurt. I'm pretty sure Zelaya's friends here will stop you from following us."** Ronon said nodding towards the animals that had just arrived. I had mentally called them to the village and the gate. The villagers shrunk back to their houses in fear of the animals that had never come so close to the village before. The only tiger among them bent down to Ronon as if waiting to be petted. I reached my hand out.

"**Make sure they don't follow us Zaid. I want them to fear me for as long as I live. And I order you to not let them kill any of you. Let them starve for all I care. And when the wraith come, tell them your orders. You are now in charge of this planet. I leave my home to you."**

The tiger rose onto his feet and reached his giant head behind him, pulling a small cub from his back. The only tiger that would never fully reach its full height do to a mutant gene. The cub snuggled close to my body to keep warm. The rest of the animals brought forth animals that would never reach their full height; all had mutant genes that would force them to be regular sized animals. These animals, once fully grown, would become my body guards, so to speak. I smiled as the cubs, pups and babies were picked up by the team members. Then we left.

**Through The Gate:**

Once the villagers were secured within their houses, Dr. McKay dialed the Atlantis base and everyone and everything was taken through the gate. Ronon turned towards the village and I took one last look at the village I had spent the last sixteen years at. With that last look he walked through the gate and once through, the gate closed behind them. He laid me on a stretcher and followed it to the infirmary.

**Atlantis Infirmary:**

I was taken into surgery shortly after being laid on the stretcher on the Atlantis base. Ronon had followed me to the infirmary but Dr. Keller was checking him out to make sure I hadn't hurt him. His team members and friends had followed to make sure he was okay as well.

"**So how exactly did she catch you off guard?"** Dr. Keller asked.

"**I actually have no idea. I was checking along the wall you guys must have seen when out of nowhere Zelaya grabs me from behind and holds her arms around my neck and the next thing I know, I'm bound but not gagged on a pile of blankets in History Cave."**

"**Why did she call it History Cave?"** Teyla asked.

"**The bags we brought back with us are full of artifacts that used to litter the floor of the cave and its passages. The one I have here is full of scrolls with the same markings she has all over her body. She put that wraith gun you have Teyla together four-years-ago by herself and started using it."**

"**Which is why we thought there was wraith activity on the planet?"** McKay asked.

"**She was using the gun to take down those animals we saw after asking them if she could kill them for food and clothes. She said she had some kind of power to communicate with the animals and plants of the planet. Am I good to go doc?"**

"**You're healthier then you were when you left which is amazing. What did she feed you in the cave?"**

"**Actually I think I was eating giant sloth or monkey, I think. You can ask her when she wakes up. Is she out of surgery yet?"**

"**Ewe, why would you eat sloth or monkey?"** McKay asked.

"**It's not like I had a choice McKay. When she gave it to me it was already cooked and it was actually good."**

"**I'll go see how she's doing."** Dr. Keller said, leaving the room and heading towards the O.R.

"**So, Keller says your okay which means time to get you out of the infirmary and back to work. Give McKay the scrolls and the rest of the artifacts and let's get back to work."** Kernel Sheppard said.

"**I was actually thinking about staying and seeing how Zelaya is doing."**

"**Hm, that's new even for you Ronon. Fine, but I want a full report on what her progress is as soon as you guys get it. Looks like you're going to have a bruise around your neck for a little while longer."** Sheppard said with a smirk.

"**Great another battle scar."** Ronon said smirking as well. Dr. Keller came back into the room.

"**She's in recovery. She'll be out of it for awhile. You should probably get some rest Ronon."**

"**Yeah, not until she wakes up."**

"**That will be a while Ronon. She's comatose, according to the surgeons she slipped into her coma shortly after arriving. They don't know if she's going to wake up."**

"**Great, so now we really don't know anything about her or her people. This if going to be fun."** Kernel Sheppard said.

"**What do you mean?"** McKay asked.

"**He means we have to go back to the planet to figure out who she really was."**

"**Or we could just ask the wraith."** Teyla said.

"**And why would we do that Teyla? Aren't we trying to stay the hell away from them?"** Dr. Keller asked.

"**Because I recognized her markings. They aren't Ancient markings. They're the markings of a wraith princess. She's wraith and **_**they**_** know who she is."**

"**How do you know she's a wraith princess besides her markings?"** Sheppard asked.

"**The way she talked to the animals. It's as if they knew what she was talking about and knew that they could trust her. They knew that if the wraith attacked they wouldn't be killed, but left to fend for themselves like they had been doing before that race settled on the planet."**

"**Well that explains a little I think. Alright we'll talk to the wraith, but they are not to come onto the base. They stay up in one of their hive ships, no matter what. And she is to go nowhere near them if she wakes up. She stays here until we get all of this situated out."** Ronon said.

"**Okay, it's settled we'll talk to the wraith in the conference room in a few days. Then maybe we'll find out why the wraith stayed away from that planet and galaxy for so damn long. And maybe Zelaya will be awake, maybe. Ronon, get some rest, you look like you need it."** Kernel Sheppard said.

"**You have no idea."**


	6. Stargate Atlantis Command

**Stargate Atlantis Command:**

**Conference Room:**

Kernel Sheppard, Teyla, Dr. Rodney McKay, Dr. Jennifer Keller, Ronon and Zelaya were sitting in the conference room five days later. The animals were also there seeing as they had barely left Zelaya's side the whole time she was in her coma. Ronon had also stayed the last five days in the infirmary. Zelaya was doing better and was even up to talking to the wraith. Ronon sat next to Zelaya and the rest of the team spread out around the table with an animal cub, pup or baby in their arms. They were actually looking forward to having animal companions on the team.

Stargate Atlantis Commander Richard Woolsey was sitting in the head chair and waiting for the wraith to communicate through the video feed. When they came on the video feed, they looked a little pissed. But when they saw me, their expressions changed a little. Just a little which made the Atlantis team look at me and me to shrug a little.

"**What do you want with us Kernel?"** the head wraith asked.

"**We have a question or two. First of all, do you know anything about the Sianim galaxy?"**

"**Why do you want to know about the Sianim galaxy Kernel?"**

"**For one we were just there. We thought that you were active on the main planet and went there to investigate. Instead, we find this girl, Zelaya, who captured Ronon and then her own people tried to kill her after…"**

"**Did you just say Zelaya?"** the leader asked.

"**Yes, why do you know her?"** Teyla asked.

"**Her parents were friends at one point. Is she alright?"**

"**You can ask her yourself."** Kernel Sheppard said, turning the video feed towards me.

"**Hello, you knew my parents Ciuk & Sholan?"** I asked.

"**Your parent's names weren't Ciuk and Sholan. They were Sergio and Teaka. They were friends like we said. They helped us in finding a home planet and we helped them by not feeding on them. Sergio was half wraith-half human as was Teaka. Both their parents were human and wraith and they lived on Earth. They were traveling around the galaxies when their ship started falling apart. Do you get what happened now?"**

"**How did my parents end up in the mine shaft that killed them?"**

"**The people you called your parents never did trust them completely because they had appeared on the planet in a wraith ship. I guess they killed them because they thought we would return and kill them all. We never returned to that planet or that galaxy because we knew we had friends on the planet."**

"**So, they killed my parents knowing that you would never return to the galaxy? Well it's a good thing I found those artifacts and fixed up that gun then. Otherwise, I would still be stuck on that planet and would have probably died there if it hadn't been for the Atlantis team picking up the weapon I was using. Which is pretty lucky for me I guess?"**

"**Yeah, really lucky. So what do you guys want to do about that planet and its galaxy? I mean we could move the animals to another planet in this galaxy and then destroy that race or you could destroy that race since we're not the killing kind of people except when it calls for it."** Kernel Sheppard said.

"**We'll deal with this race, but the animals are a different subject. We are aware that Zelaya has become very close to these animals. I have heard that the animals listen to whatever she says and that this race is deathly afraid that these animals will kill them sooner or later."**

"**That's true, but if you have to move them to a different planet, I'm sure they would be willing to move. And they are easy to get along with. They'll even protect you with their life if need be. How do you think I survived all those years out in the wilderness? I had giant friends that kept me safe and even let me ride on their backs when I got too tired to travel."**

"**Well, I think maybe we should let the Atlantis team decide where to settle these animals. And Zelaya, you should probably stay with the animals since they trust you so much."**

"**I was thinking the exact same thing."**


End file.
